The 22-year-old has scored two top-six results on three outings in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID this year, but for the final FIA World Rally Championship round of the season – next week’s FORUM8 Rally Japan – he will return to the GR Yaris Rally2.
A top-two result among the WRC2 runners will be enough for him and co-driver Enni Mälkönen to snatch the championship crown away from current series leaders Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson, who won’t be competing in Aichi.
“When I was driving in Chile and Central European Rally [in the GR Yaris Rally1] I was focusing on those rallies,” said Pajari. “As soon as I finished in CER, I was focusing to Japan and the fight in WRC2.
"Of course, it would be nice to stay in the Rally1 car and it’s been fantastic to drive it this year, but there are lots of positives going to Japan with the Rally2.”
Pajari skipped the Toyota City-based event last year, his only previous experience of FORUM8 Rally Japan being a fifth place in WRC2 while driving a Škoda in 2022.
“It’s really nice to go to Japan,” he said. “The fans are amazing and it will be really nice to compete on the home event for Toyota.”
Wed 13 Nov 2024
Pajari primed for WRC2 title clash in Japan
Rising Finnish star Sami Pajari will put his outstanding Rally1 efforts behind him as he heads to Japan in search of a maiden world title next week.
Japan
Poland
Turkey